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Product Description:

Containing one of the most instantly recognizable intro sequences to a TV show ("Look up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman!"), THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN was the first attempt to bring the comic book character to television screens. This first season originally aired in 1952, and established great cinematic characters such as Lois Lane (Phyllis Coates), Jimmy Olsen (Jack Larson), and of course Clark Kent (George Reeves) himself. By day Kent attempts to live an anonymous existence as a reporter for the Daily Planet, but when trouble comes calling, he transforms into Superman, the last survivor from the planet Krypton. The fifth and sixth seasons of the show are included on this release.

Having grown up watching the show almost daily (when it was on)I loved the show and still do.In my estimate, as much as I liked Chris Reeve's interpretation of the role, no one for me quite matched George Reeves charm and charisma in the part, though I realize that for those whose first Super exposure was to the big movie version,their opinion may well be the reverse. But consider this. The film had the advantages of big budget and special effects to impress you. The mini-budget for the T.V. series had to rely on George Reeves mostly athletic stunts and much more basic low budget effects, yet it was mostly pulled off smoothly and impressively when you bear this in mind. The T.V. show relied much more than the films on the personalities of the principal characters of Clark 'Super'Kent, Lois Lane, Perry White, and Jimmy Olson. In the films only Lois really had a meaty part to bite into. Perry White and Jimmy Olson do well enough, but are essentially props in terms of actual screen time, and consequentially less important or memorable. On the T.V. show Perry was excellently drawn by old time character actor John Hamilton. Jimmy Olson, as much as, and even more so than Mr. White, is remarkably incarnated by Jack Larsen, who is so convincing and likable, that I know people who list him as their favorite on the show, though George Reeves has a virtual cult following. And Reeves, to digress again to the lead, played a tougher Clark Kent. Yes, he sometimes by need appears to wimp out, but otherwise is no cream puff as in the films. My children and I discussed that with me in fact recently. My son, favoring the films thinks Clark Kent TOO tough as the mild mannered reporter in that, supporting the film interpretation. My daughter however argued,'But to be as successful a reporter as he is supposed to be, he needs to show a more dynamic side, and so the T.V. version is the more credible. As to Lois, Noel Neil was fine and very likable, and played well. However, I must admit I favored the first season with Phylis Coates as Lois. Tougher, smarter, and more independant she also was, if subtly,'Hot'. That, in conjunction with the fact that the whole first season was more like a film noir detective show, with a harder edge on violence and menace makes it the best. Subsequently, probably due to an increased awareness of that, while they had a devoted adult audience, they also had an even more substantial Kiddie audience, and toned down for that reason. In this, sometimes certain episodes were quite juvenile as the seasons continued. That is why for season 2-6 I give 4 and a half rating, while I give the first season a full 5. Never the less, all of the series is good fun and worth watching again and again.A true American T.V. Classic.